Light control system

ABSTRACT

A light control system having a central control engine, at least one light sensor, and at least one light source. The central control engine is configured to receive illumination data from the light sensor. The light data represents an actual light profile. The central control engine is configured to retrieve a target light profile for a user and adjust an illumination of the light control system based on the target light profile for the individual user.

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/482,135, filed Apr. 7, 2017; which is a Continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/087,289, filed Mar. 31, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.9,655,206; which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/385,955, filed Sep. 17, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,313,860; which is aNational Phase application of PCT/SE2013/050288, filed Mar. 15, 2013;which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/612,468,filed Mar. 19, 2012 which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to a system and an apparatus for improvedlighting, and in particular to a system and an apparatus for improvedlighting accommodating for an individual's lighting needs.

BACKGROUND

It has become known that many people have different lighting needs, thatis they are affected by the light in their environment in different waysand therefore have different needs when it comes to the surroundinglight. Some of these needs stem from physical conditions (for exampleeye problems), some stem from mental conditions (for example winterdepressions) and some stem from personal reference. Some also stem fromtask oriented requirements for a specific room (for example watching TVis best done in low light).

To illustrate further it is assumed that all sorts of life is dependingon light and the quality of light, and that all individuals of specieshave individual need of light intensity, spectral distribution and timedistribution (wavelengths, amplitudes and time distribution).Furthermore, the individual need, as will be described by the targetlight profile, TLP, is also believed to vary over eg. time, age, stateof health, sleep, food/nutrition and medical/chemical intake.

There is thus a need for a system where an individual's needs are takeninto account.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the teachings of this application to overcome theproblems listed above by providing a light control system comprising acentral control engine, at least one light sensor and at least one lightsource, wherein said central control engine is configured to: receiveillumination data from the light sensor, which light data represents anactual light profile; retrieve a target light profile for a user; andadjust an illumination of the light control system based on the targetlight profile for the individual user.

The inventors of the present invention have realized, after inventiveand insightful reasoning, that by adapting measuring the light exposureof an individual and a clever arrangement of controllable light sourcesa light system may be controlled to accommodate an individual's needsand preferences. This is achieved in a simple manner that has thebenefit of being a simple solution to a problem that has existed for along time. The use of light sensors has existed for numerous years andthe preference for certain light conditions have existed for evenlonger.

This document describes a light control system, LCS, that (continuously)measures and records light over time, exposed on individuals in thesystem which might be absorbed or/and reflected, and collects input datafrom distributed sensors but also individually placed (such as bodyplaced sensors but also other sensors), and adopts the transmitted lightprovided by the light sources in the system to the individuals in thesystem, to match each individual's need.

The LCS may be distributed both in-door or out-door in multipleenvironments and in environments where a distribution of light sourceswill vary eg. where there are spots of very low or even lacking or gapof light sources (lack of controllable light sources).

A number of LCS can exist in parallel and can also co-exist withnon-system enabled light or with other systems. Such LCS may be operatedprivately in private homes and/or by commercial light providers, CLPs,in public or work environments (for example streets, offices, stores,shopping centres, train stations, airports etc) but there may also be amixture or combination of CLPs on local, regional, national or eveninternational and global basis.

One implementation may be that an individual has invested in his homeLCS and operates that LCS in his home, but the individual also has asubscription to a certain CLP and is therefore registered with thatcertain CLP. This allows the individual to roam and be part of a CLPslight network, where the CLP will give each subscriber an individuallyadopted light, as described herein.

One aspect of the teachings herein is to provide a light source arrangedto be used on a light control system as above.

One aspect of the teachings herein is to provide a light sensor arrangedto be used on a light control system as above.

Benefits brought about by a system according to the teachings hereinincludes, but are not limited to individual health tracking, energytracking, bring a light experience with you to another location, share alight experience with other individuals, special light treatmentcells/zones, communication through light, precision location tracking,especially in house and alarm detection and surveillance.

Other features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will appearfrom the following detailed disclosure, from the attached dependentclaims as well as from the drawings.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted accordingto their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitlydefined otherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the [element, device,component, means, step, etc]” are to be interpreted openly as referringto at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step,etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in further detail under reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a house arranged with a light controlsystem according to one embodiment of the teachings of this application;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a light control system according to oneembodiment of the teachings of this application; and

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the general structure of a serverimplementing a central control engine according to one embodiment of theteachings of this application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certainembodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a building 100 arranged with a LightControl System, LCS (referenced 200 in FIG. 2), according to oneembodiment of the teachings herein. In FIG. 1, the LCS comprises aplurality of light sources 110 (LS). In the example of FIG. 1 there are7 LS 110 a-g. The system also comprises at least one light sensor 130.In the example of figure, the light sensor 130 is worn by an individual,but it should be noted that there may be a plurality of light sensors130, both worn by individuals (or the same individual) as well asmounted or arranged through (inside and possibly outside) the building100. The light sensor(s) 130 are arranged to measure an illuminationlevel and/or a spectral density and communicate the measurement to aCentral Control engine 120 that is part of the LCS and arranged tocontrol the operation of the LCS. Likewise, the LS 110 are arranged tobe controlled by the CCE 120 to adjust the illumination of the area inwhich the LS 110 is arranged.

Outside the house 100 is a sun, which represent ambient or surroundinglight which is also to be included in the light control system. Suchambient light may be controlled through the use of blinds and such.

It should be noted that even though the description herein mostly focuson a house, a Light Control System according to the teachings herein mayalso be utilized in other buildings and also outdoors or a combinationthereof. Outdoor light sources that may be included in the light controlsystem include, but is not limited to, street lamps, traffic lights 110g, and light showers etc.

The CCE 120 of the LCS 200 will record all light that an individual hasbeen exposed to over time, including sunlight, side light, reflectedlight etc. This recorded data will form the individual actual lightprofile, ALP. The CCE 120 is further configured to compare the ALP witha preferred or Target Light Profile, TLP.

In one embodiment the CCE 120 is configured to perform the lightrecording or measuring continuously and also at any locality, forexample both indoor and outdoor, when travelling, during sleep etc. TheALP is thus updated continuously, even if the individual might be out ofreach from the system LS 110. The input data from the recording may thusfrom time to time be recorded locally in clients, should they not haveaccess to the CCE 120 at the time of recording. The input data will thenbe synchronized with the CCE 120 from time to time.

The TLP may also be adjusted dynamically. The TLP is based on manyfactors and may change according to these factors. Examples of factorsare state of health, food intake, time of the day, sleep history,medical intake etc.

The adjustment of a TLP is effected by the CCE 120 based on a mappingengine, ME which represents known relationships between the individualfactors and the desired, targeted, light need for the individual (TLP).Registration of the Individual Factor and its changes may be effectedthrough the clients or individual sensors.

The LCS components (LS and light sensors) may also change from time totime (for example a LS may be interchanged) and the CCE 120 willrecognize the new system configuration with all available light sourcesat any time and have the updated location data with all individualuser's locations and thereby adjust the light sources 110 tocontinuously align each individual actual light profile, ALP, with theindividual target light profile, TLP.

A light profile, such as the ALP and the TLP contains data on the amountof illumination received/to be received, at what spectrum and at whatintensity. It may also comprise data on what increment or frequency theillumination should be/has been received at.

The light profile may be dependent on factors such as race, age, sexand/or health status of the user; geographical location, season, weather(reports) and of course, personal preference.

The health status may relate to both physical health and mental health.An example of a mental health condition that is influenced by light iswinter/darkness depressions which are often treated with light therapy.

An example of physical health status is eye problems which may render auser's eyes very sensitive to certain amounts of light.

An example of geographical conditions is for example in a ski resortwhere the amount of UV radiation so the LCS will compensate by reducingthe UV spectra of any LSs having such spectra.

In addition, the LCS will be designed for a minimal power consumption.The LCS is configured to reduce the power consumption by for exampleturning the light off when there are no people in a specific room orarea.

The CCE 120 may also perform a system analysis to minimize impact fromgreat fluctuations and other light variations which could cause forexample irritation, headache or other distracting mechanisms.

In one embodiment the CCE 120 is configured to continuously adapt andcontrol the LS for the complete LCS with all individuals in the system.For individuals not registered in the system, the system will give astandard light at each location.

The CCE 120 is configured to adjust the light and the illumination levelin the LCS 200 to service one user individually by adjusting theillumination based on the TLP of the individual user.

The adjustment may be based on the TLP alone, for example to alwaysmaintain a bright area where the user is visiting.

The CCE 120 may also or alternatively be arranged to take into accountthe light consumption already done by the individual. The lightconsumption is given by the ALP, which may give a current consumption oran integrated consumption. The CCE 120 is thus configured to adjust theillumination based on a difference between the ALP and the TLP.

The CCE 120 is configured to compare the ALP to the TLP and adjust theillumination accordingly. If the ALP exceeds the TLP (or a level of theALP exceeds a level of the TLP), the illumination in the LCS 200 isdecreased accordingly.

If the ALP does not reach the TLP (or a level of the ALP does not reacha level of the TLP), the illumination in the LCS 200 is increasedaccordingly.

The CCE 120 is configured to base the adjustment on the Mapping Engine,which may be a software module, arranged to represent the relationsbetween a target light profile, the status or other individual factorsof a user and the actual light profile. The ME also provides anindication in which manner the light or illumination should be adjusted.

The CCE 120 may also or alternatively be configured to base theadjustment of the illumination on a calendar application for determiningthe time available to reach a target level. If the calendar or timeapplication indicates that an individual is likely to go to bed soon,but has not yet reached his daily quota of light, the illumination inthe LCS may be increased further to make sure that the quota is reachedin time.

The LCS is thus enabled to provide an individual adaptation of a lightsystem.

The LCS 200 may also be arranged to service more than one individual,for example user 1 and user 2 having TLP1 and TLP2 respectively. Toaccommodate both users TLPs he CCE 120 is configured to control the LCSaccording to an average of the two (or more) users' TLPs or the averageof the difference between the two TLPs and the two corresponding ALPs.

However, the TLPs may be different or even conflicting. For example, ifuser 1 is a moody teenager he may have set his TLP1 to prefer darkerlight settings, whereas user 2 may have winter depressions and thereforehave a TLP2 to prefer brighter settings. The two TLPs are thusconflicting in nature.

To resolve any conflicts a CCE is arranged to assign a priority to aTLP. The priority may also be assigned by a client or other device. Itmay even be a user setting.

In one embodiment the CCE 120 is configured to set the priority of auser setting to a low priority. The CCE 120 is also configured to set apriority of a TLP resulting from a health status depending on theseverity of the health status. The severity of a health status may bestored in a list or provided by an external service provider.

In one embodiment, the priority may be set according to the differencebetween the ALP and the TLP—a large difference being given a highpriority. This allows for users who are so to say far behind to catchup.

In the following there will be made no distinction between adjustingbased on the TLP or the difference between the TLP and the ALP, but itshould be noted that both are possible and also the combination.

As an example, if a third user, user 3, has an eye problem the severityof his eye problem is most likely higher than the severity of the personhaving a winter depression. Normally a user suffering from winterdepression can withstand (shorter) periods of darker light, whereas auser suffering from n eye problem may not be able to withstand evenshort periods of bright light. User 3 thus have a TLP3 having a higherpriority than the TLP2 of user 2 and the TLP1 of user 1.

The CCE 120 is, in one embodiment, configured to adjust the light in azone/are according to a weighted average, where the TLPs are weightedaccording to their priorities. For example if TLP1 has a priority of 5and TLP2 has a priority of 7 the resulting TLP is.TLP=5/12*TLP1+7/12*TLP2.

In an alternative or additional embodiment the CCE 120 is configured toadjust the light in a zone/are according to a TLP having the highestpriority.

In a combination of the weighted average and the highest priorityscheme, the CCE 120 is configured to determine if a priority has aspecial priority level and if so, adjust the LCS according to that TLP,and if no special priority exists, then adjust according to a weightedaverage. If more than one TLP has a special priority, the CCCE 120 mayeither adjust according to the highest TLP priority or according to aweighted average of the TLPs having a special priority.

To illustrate an example will be given with reference to FIG. 1. User 1(the moody teenager) is in the living room watching TV. The CCE 120 hasadjusted the LS 110 b to dim the light according to TLP1. As user 2walks in to the room, the CCE 120 adjusts the LS 110 b to illuminatebrighter according to TLP2 having a higher priority.

User 3, who has been working in the working room, also comes in,whereupon the CCE 120 adjusts the LS 110 b again to dim the light tosave user 3's eyes.

The sensors being worn may be arranged to determine their locationexplicitly (through for example a Global Positioning System) or throughthe use of beacons and to communicate their position to the CCE 120 sothat the CCE 120 can determine which user is in which zone.

The LS 110 may also be other light sources than lamps and such. Forexample, motorized blinds could be open or shut to regulate the amountof indirect light coming in. Also indoor tapestry could be used toregulate the reflection given off by special surfaces.

The control of the LS 110 may be dependent on time of day and also theseason. For example, opening blinds to increase light has no effect inthe middle of the night in most areas.

Also, the control of the LCS 200 may be dependent on the room type. Forexample, it may be an intrusion on a user's personal integrity toautomatically open the blinds in a bed room to increase the light,whereas it may be bad for business to close the blinds in a showroom orbusiness place, for example a real estate office.

Alignment of the ALP to the TLP for each individual may also be done inspecial zones or cubes where the individual can spend time to get a moreindividually optimized light to quicker compensate the gap and get aquicker alignment between ALP and TLP. The CCE 120 may be configured tocommunicate to an individual that the current AP is not suitable andthat the individual should seek out an individualized zone.

The LCS 200 may also be configured to adapt the ALP according to a roomtype. For example the wanted light profile of a TV room would differfrom the wanted light profile of a working area. In one the light shouldbe dimmed so as not to disturb the TV, whereas in the work area thelight should be bright enough to allow for example easy reading. The TLPmay in such an embodiment simply state an average light level (orminimum/maximum light level) and not a complete list of settings foreach possible environment.

It should be noted that not only the amount of illumination may beadjusted, but also the spectrum of the light. For example if light isneeded for a task, but all TLPs indicate that a low light level shouldbe used, the light may be shifted towards the red spectrum as this givesa softer, less intrusive light which is still possible to performcertain tasks in.

In such an embodiment the LCS 200 is arranged to also change itsconfiguration as a room changes purpose or is refitted for example whena certain room/location or part of a room (area) changes objective. Oneexample is when a work room/area is changed to be used for otherpurposes for example a relaxation room/area or a room for watching amovie. Such changes can happen during different hours of the day or lessfrequent and such change could be triggered in a multiple different waysfor example through a client or a certain timer or just by a wallmounted, hard switch. The LCS 200 will then adopt and adjust thelightening in line with the changed objective/purpose of the room/area.

To set up a LCS a consumer may start out mall and only purchase one or afew lamps which are part of a LCS and one or a few sensors which hecarries with him. With a user's client device, for example a phone, hecan register to a CLP (a commercial light system provider) if he wishes(but he is not forced to), and download an application to start tooperate his own mini-LCS. The mobile phone then operates as a CCE 120 oris configured to operate in cooperation with a remote CCE for examplevia a telecommunications interface.

It should be noted that a CCE 120 may not necessarily be a server initself, but may also be a computer software module being executed on acomputer or server, remotely or locally

Should the user be a registered user with a CLP he might get his ownequipment subsidized by the CLP and also be able to take part of theservices as the CLP will provide The user might choose not to invest ina local server but rather use a cloud server where he has his own CCE.The CCE will start register light input data from the sensors and buildup the user's ALP. The TLP is formed by the input data at theregistration and is then also gradually updated thru inputs from thesensors and from the user's client, for example it could be from foodintake, medical intake, sleep etc.

A client device, such as a smartphone may then be arranged to receiveinput from a user on his habits and actions and forward the data to theCCE to adjust the TLP or the ALP or adjust the TLP or ALP directly. Inone embodiment the smartphone is arranged to prompt the user (regularlyor at random times) for input on his habits and actions.

After some time, the user may want to buy more components to hismini-LCS, eg. some more LS of different type as he might install inother rooms. He might still have his CCE in a cloud service, but the CCEwill then update the system configuration to the new actual state. Theuser might fancy the alarm service as the LCS can give and as the CLPwill offer, and joins a subscription from the CLP. Now is the CLP alsogiving the user a possibility to get light treatment at special serviceplaces. A gym, for example, is such a place where you can start your daywith e.g. a 30 min light treatment. The service is provided thru thesubscription. Gradually will the service levels be able to become moreand more advanced, see above and the user's system might be built outwith more and more advanced LSs and sensors everywhere in the user'shome. In a future vision, the LCS will be able to provide advice toindividual health improvements thanks to the capabilities in the systemwhere it will be possible for the user to continuously accumulate hishealth data, food intake and the exposure of light. The quality of lightis very important, and the LCS will be able to improve the individual'sstate of health dramatically.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a LCS 200. The LCS 200 comprises acentral control engine, CCE 120, one or more light sensors 130, one ormore light sources (LS) 110, a database (DB not shown in FIG. 2, butreferenced 340 in FIG. 3) for storing user target light profiles (TLP).The CCE 120 may also comprise one or more clients and networks.

Through the networks and clients a distributed control of the LCS may beachieved. Furthermore miscellaneous data which may influence the controlmay also be gathered. Examples are that if a storm is coming and auser's TLP and ALP indicate a shortage of illumination, the LCS maygather this information from a weather service and increase thebrightness to allow for an alignment of the ALP and the TLP before thestorm comes.

The light sources. LS 110, can be controlled centrally from the CCE 120,or distributed by any system client, such as a mobile phone, a localcomputer, or a tablet, or for example by fixed switches or dimmersintegrated in the building. The light sources may also be lightcontrolling devices such as blinds, tapestry, curtains or such.

The CCE 120 will at any time register any changes in states of thesystem components (the light sensors 130 and the light sources 110) andthe individuals (such as health status or position) registered in theLCS 200 and adjust the LS 110 accordingly. As stated above the positionmay be retrieved from the sensors, or from the clients (if they arearranged with position determining means, which most mobile phones are).

The LCS 200 also comprises one or several light sensors 130. The sensorsmay be arranged on a person to be worn or to be mounted at certainpoints in an area. The sensors may be arranged to measure the light itis being exposed to and also at which spectra the light is. The sensors130 may also be arranged to determine a current position and communicatethis to the CCE 120 or a client which may forward the information to theCCE 120.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the general structure of a computerserver implementing a Central Control Engine (CCE) 120 for use in a LCS200 according to FIG. 2. The CCE 120 comprises a controller 310. Thecontroller 310 may be implemented using instructions that enablehardware functionality, for example, by using executable computerprogram instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processorthat may be stored on a computer readable storage medium (disk, memoryetc) 340 to be executed by such a processor. The controller 310 isconfigured to read instructions from the memory 340 and execute theseinstructions to control the operation of the LCS 200. The memory may beimplemented using any commonly known technology for computer-readablememories such as ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM, CMOS, FLASH, DDR, SDRAM or someother memory technology.

The memory is also arranged to store at least one TLP for at least oneindividual associated with the LCS 200.

The CCE 120 further comprises a communication interface 320, such as aradio frequency interface 320, which is adapted to allow the CCE 120 tocommunicate with LSs 110 through a radio frequency band through the useof different radio frequency technologies. Examples of such technologiesare Wife, Bluetooth, W-CDMA, GSM, UTRAN, LTE and NMT to name a few. Inone embodiment the communication interface 320 may additionally oralternatively comprise a wired interface.

The CCE 120 may be implemented on a central server in a home or on aCLPs server or as part of a cloud service. Individuals may register to asystem to become part of it and thus allow the CCE to give each suchregistered individual, individually adapted light. Roaming mechanismsmay be applied, thus can a guest register into a hosts system. Suchregistration is then giving the host CCE of the host's LCS knowledge ofthe guest TLP and ALP and start the service of provide the guest withthe appropriate, individualized light.

Clients may be any type of mobile phones, tablets, computers, remotecontrols etc, and may have individual application SW installed as toolinput for the light system control or eg. individual LS in the system.It is assumed that clients can be used for storing and bridging of datatransfer from & to the system database.

The system components, eg. the light sources, LS, might have differentproperties and should be able to report individually to the system aboutits properties and state. As stated above, the light sources may also bedevices for regulating other indirect light sources, such as blinds.

The light sources, LS, will be of different types and some sources willbe controllable both for the light direction, amplitude and wavelengthwhile others will have more limited properties. Some light source mayalso have sensor inbuilt, thus being able to give feedback on the actualtransmitted light from the LS as well as the surrounding light. The LScould even have cameras or image sensors inbuilt to give morequalitative feedback to the LCS.

The light sensor will be of different types and could also be part ofdifferent personal items, such as wristwatches, glasses, rings, clothingor as “stickers”, i.e. being possible to easily stick/glue on. Lightsensors will normally also have wireless capability, to be able to moreeasily distribute its data back to the CCE thru the clients or directlythru a home wireless network. Some sensors could also be of “selfcontained” type, they have a solar sensor included, so that they canoperate without battery also.

Each component in the LCS, eg. the LSs, each sensor, each client etcwill be individually identified and addressable thru the network, whichmight be consisting of both wireless and wired connections.

The LCS database may be stored locally in the memory 340 or it may bestored remotely at a remote server. The data base may also be part of acloud service and is thus accessible at many different positions shoulda user roam from one LCS to another.

If two or more LCSs overlap they may be arranged to cooperate. Thecooperation may be necessary to adapt the light setting to differentindividuals' TLPs and also to prevent oscillations that may arise ifboth or all) LCSs are trying to lower the light in an area at the sametime, whereupon the light will most likely be dimmed too much (as alllights are dimmed at the same time and not only the ones belonging toone LCS, the light sensor of one LCS is not able to distinguish betweenlight from a LS belonging to another LCS and the Light belonging to thesame LCS). And as the LCSs want to accommodate for the rapid dimming,the LCSs may all increase the light again resulting in a too fastincrease and so on.

To prevent such situations from occurring the LCS 200 may be arranged tocooperate with other LCS 200, possibly through the communicationinterface 320, for example a telecommunications interface.

The cooperation may be arranged as a distributed control, where all CCEs120 in the respective LCS 200 control their respective LS 110 butcoordinates the control.

In one embodiment the control is coordinated so that the CCEs 120 agreeswhich LS 110 to be lowered or by how much it may be lowered.

In one embodiment the control is coordinated simply by allowing each CCE120 to control its own LS 110 but at a weighted rate. In such anembodiment having for example N CCEs 120, each control signal from eachCCE 120 is divided by N. This slows down any changes and thus preventsany fast oscillations from occurring.

In one embodiment the CCE 120 may be configured to avoid such problemsby setting the LS 110 to a set (absolute) strength and not simplycontrolling the light to increase/decrease. This requires the LS 110 tobe able to determine the illumination level in its surrounding and willadapt the light accordingly.

The cooperation may additionally or alternatively be arranged as acentralized control, where all CCEs 120 in the respective LCS 200surrender control to one master CCE 120 which sends out control commandsto the various CCEs 120 after having received input from the variousLCS' sensors 130 and also the TLPs of the individual for each LCS 200.

The CCE 120 chosen as the master may be the CCE of the system having thehighest (or most) priority for its registered individuals.

Where the control is both centralized and distributed, the control maybe centralized as regards some areas and/or light sources anddistributed as regards to some areas and/or light sources.

Another important aspect of the LCS is that it can be part of atraditional communication system. Individuals could initiate differentactions or trigger messages or commands through for example gestures andmovements. The LCS will be able to detect changes in movements or/andlight by for example reflections of light. Such gestures may beinterpreted as individual commands, which could either be standardizedor individually set. The LCS and a traditional telecom system (forexample a cellular based system based on cellular telecom technologysuch as LTE) may be connected together and thus could messages betransported both ways and handled by both systems separately or even inparallel.

References to ‘computer-readable storage medium’, ‘computer programproduct’, ‘tangibly embodied computer program’ etc. or a ‘controller’,‘computer’, ‘processor’ etc. should be understood to encompass not onlycomputers having different architectures such as single/multi-processorarchitectures and sequential (Von Neumann)/parallel architectures butalso specialized circuits such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA),application specific circuits (ASIC), signal processing devices andother devices. References to computer program, instructions, code etc.should be understood to encompass software for a programmable processoror firmware such as, for example, the programmable content of a hardwaredevice whether instructions for a processor, or configuration settingsfor a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic deviceetc.

One benefit of the teachings herein is that a user's individual needsare met through a clever and insightful arrangement of light sources andthe control thereof based on chosen parameters. And through the use of apriority scheme conflicts between users' differing needs are resolved.Other benefits include that the LCS is useful and provides value tosingle users also in a small scale and may operate in parallel withexisting and also different light sources and light systems.

It is also possible for an operator, a commercial light provider (CLP),which might be an energy company or even a telecommunication serviceprovider, but in general it could be any company interested in providingservices, to operate a LCS with multiple users, on a local, regional,national, international or even global scale. The LCS is thus a greatcomplement to today's technology but will thanks to its features andcapabilities gradually grow in attraction.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a fewembodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled inthe art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equallypossible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appendedpatent claims.

ABBREVIATIONS

ALP—Actual Light Profile. The accumulated light you have received overtime

CCE—Central Control Engine. The central control. Could be SW program.

CLP—Commercial Light Provider. Could be a traditional operator withinthe energy sector or telecom sector but could be also any other businessoriented actor.

IF—Individual Factors. Any relevant factor with some relevant influencefrom the exposure of light.

LCS—Light Control System. A system independent of specific connectingtechnology, which could be built from only one LS and later expandedto >millions of LSes. Specified in this document.

LS—Light Source.] g Diode) lamp.

ME—Mapping Engine. Comprises of algorithms which the CCE uses to alignALP with TLP.

TLP—Target Light Profile. The preferred accumulated light exposure anindividual should have in time.

I claim:
 1. A light control system comprising: a central control engine;a light sensor, wherein the light sensor is a stationary light sensor; aplurality of light sources; and a communication device assigned to anindividual user and in communication with the central control engine;wherein the central control engine is configured to: receiveillumination data from the light sensor, the illumination datapertaining to the communication device; add the received illuminationdata to an actual light profile for the communication device, whereinthe actual light profile is an amount of light accumulated over time forthe individual user assigned to the communication device, and whereinthe actual light profile contains first data on an amount ofillumination received over time by the individual user assigned to thecommunication device, wherein the first data includes information aboutspectrum and intensity; retrieve a target light profile for theindividual user based on the communication device assigned to theindividual user, wherein the target light profile contains second dataon the amount of illumination to be received by the individual userassigned to the communication device, wherein the second data includesinformation about spectrum and intensity; and adjust an illumination ofat least one light source based on the target light profile and theactual light profile of the communication device.
 2. The light controlsystem according to claim 1, wherein the light control system further isconfigured to service a plurality of communication devices, eachcommunication device being assigned to different individual user, andwherein the light sensor is configured to determine a current positionof each communication device.
 3. The light control system according toclaim 1, wherein the central control engine is further configured toadjust the illumination based on a comparison between the target lightprofile and the actual light profile.
 4. The light control systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the central control engine is configuredto adjust the illumination based on a difference between the targetlight profile and the actual light profile.
 5. The light control systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the central control engine is configuredto continuously receive the illumination data and to continuously addthe received illumination data to the actual light profile of thecommunication device.
 6. The light control system according to claim 1,wherein the target light profile is adjusted dynamically based on stateof health, food intake, time of the day, sleep history, and/or medicalintake of the individual user assigned to the communication device. 7.The light control system according to claim 1, wherein the centralcontrol engine is configured to adjust the target light profile based onrelationships between the state of health, food intake, time of the day,sleep history, and/or medical intake of the individual user assigned tothe communication device and a desired target light profile.
 8. Thelight control system according to claim 1, wherein a further lightsensor is associated to the individual user.
 9. The light control systemaccording to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of further lightsensors, wherein each further light sensor is associated to a specificone of the individual users.
 10. The light control system according toclaim 1, wherein the light sensor is configured to determine a currentposition of the individual user and, wherein the central control engineis configured to adjust the illumination based on the current positionof the individual user and both the target light profile and the actuallight profile of the communication device.
 11. The light control systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the light control system is configured toservice a plurality of communication devices, and wherein the centralcontrol engine is configured to assign a priority to each communicationdevice and a respective target light profile of the communicationdevices.
 12. The light control system according to claim 11, wherein thepriority is based on a health status of a user assigned to eachcommunication device.
 13. The light control system according to claim11, wherein the central control engine is further configured to resolvea conflict between two communication devices each having a target lightprofile by adjusting the illumination based on a difference between eachrespective target light profile.
 14. The light control system accordingto claim 11, wherein the central control engine is further configured toresolve a conflict between two communication devices each having atarget light profile by adjusting the illumination based on the actuallight profile of the communication device having a highest priority. 15.The light control system according to claim 13, wherein the centralcontrol engine is further configured to resolve a conflict between atleast two communication devices each having a target light profile bydetermining a weighted average of the target light profile of the atleast two communication devices.
 16. The light control system accordingto claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises a wirelesscommunication interface.
 17. The light control system according to claim16, wherein the wireless communication interface comprises a radiofrequency interface communicating through a radio frequency band any ofWiFi, Bluetooth, W-CDMA, GSM, UTRAN, and LTE radio frequencytechnologies.
 18. The light control system according to claim 8, whereinthe communication device comprises the further light sensor.